Fleur de Lis

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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

This one clocked in at a 31 minute completion time! Begin the water to boil for the pasta or rice before you start anything else. You can easily substitute chicken broth for the white wine in this dish if you prefer.

Definitely a home cooking in a hurry classic that should be in your regular rotation.

4 boneless pork chops, pounded thin

2 T. olive oil

1/2 cup self rising flour

salt and pepper

1 T. butter

1T. reserved flour

1/3 cup wine (or chicken broth)

1 T. coarse grain mustard

1 T. lemon juice

1 T. capers

1 T. butter

Add the olive oil to a large skillet and let heat over high heat until it shimmers.

In a shallow plate, lightly mix flour with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge pork chops and shake off excess. Place in skillet and lower heat to medium. Let chops cook 5 - 6 minutes per side until well browned and cooked though.

Remove chops from skillet and drain oil into a small bowl to be discarded.

Add 1 T. butter to skillet with 1 T. of the reserved flour. Increase heat to medium high and, stirring constantly, let flour "cook" for a minute or so. Add wine and let cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add mustard, capers, and lemon juice and continue stirring. Remove from heat and add the last tablespoon of butter. Stir to blend in and spoon over chops. Serve immediately.

Add the other tablespoon of butter and stir to allow it to melt and blend in with the

I drug out the Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven and made a great pot of Black Bean / Pinto Bean Stew. This would have delicious on its own, but the jalapeno and cornmeal dumplings pushed it over the top. A little dollop of sour cream and a spoonful of my home made salsa rounded everything out beautifully.

Soaking the beans overnight will speed the cooking process. If you don't want to use dried beans, canned beans will work perfectly.

For the stew:

1 ham hock or ham bone

1/2 lb. dried black beans

1/2 lb. dried pinto beans

Water to cover beans

2 T. olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 jalapenos seeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

2 T. chili powder

1 T. ground cumin

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. ground coriander

salt and pepper to taste

1 can Mexican style corn, drained

Rinse and sort the beans in a large bowl. Discard any beans that are shriveled or bad. Cover with fresh water and let soak overnight.

In a large Dutch oven, over medium heat, brown the ham bone or ham hock.

In a medium skillet, over medium high heat, add olive oil, onions, peppers and garlic. Stirring frequently, let vegetables soften, but not browned.

Drain soaking water from beans, add to the Dutch oven and cover with water. Add seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover and cook for 2 - 3 hours stirring occasionally. Add additional water if needed.

Approximately 30 minutes before serving, add corn and taste. Add salt and pepper and additional seasonings if you want a more spicy taste.

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter and use a pastry blender, two knives or a fork to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add jalapeno and lime zest and toss to coat. Add buttermilk and stir to form a dough.

Using generous tablespoonfuls of dough, drop 8 dumplings on top of the stew. Cover and cook for 15 - 20 minutes until dumplings are cooked through. Serve each portion of stew topped with a dumpling.

We decided that waffles sounded like the perfect breakfast today. Remember last week when we made Bourbon Sorghum Butter? It was delicious on the waffles. I toasted some chopped pecans to add to the top for extra flavor and crunch!

This morning we chose waffles for breakfast and I thought I'd make some bourbon bacon to go along with the bourbon butter we made last weekend. I used regular sliced bacon for this batch. Next time I'll definitely go the thick sliced route.

Remember that the bacon will continue to "crisp" after it's removed from the oven and cools. If you like your bacon more chewy (like me!), remove from oven at the earliest time. If you like it really crunchy, cook it the full time.

1 lb. bacon, sliced in half to make half slices

1/3 cup light brown sugar

3 T. honey bourbon

freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place a baking cooling rack on top of the parchment.

Carefully place bacon slices on the rack. I used a pepper mill and cracked the black pepper directly onto the slices.

In a small bowl, combine light brown sugar and bourbon and stir until sugar melts into bourbon. Brush the bourbon mixture onto the slices.

The cooking time will depend on how you like your bacon as I noted above. Start checking the bacon at 20 minutes. 25 minutes will give you a very crispy, crunchy piece of bacon. I removed mine from the oven at 22 minutes.

If you use thick sliced bacon, of course, the cooking time will be longer.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

I couldn't decide what to make for breakfast this morning. So, as I often do, I started with potatoes. And then the idea for a crustless quiche begin to form. The result is a delicious mixture of vegetables, eggs and the ever popular Boursin Cheese . If you've never tried this light and flavorful cheese, please do! It's easily spreadable on crackers or bread and, with this recipe, it added the perfect amount of flavors without being heavy or oily as some Cheddars are prone to do.

This recipe can be dressed up or down. If I had had some sun dried tomatoes or bell peppers or mushrooms, they would have made a wonderful addition. My recipe is simply a starting point. Mix or match your favorite vegetables. Some diced cooked ham or bacon would have been delicious as well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking dish. I used an oversized deep dish pie plate.

In a large skillet over low heat, add olive oil and allow it to warm slightly. Add vegetables and salt and pepper. Let the vegetables cook, stirring often, just until they begin to soften, but not brown.

While vegetables are softening, in a large bowl, combine eggs and heavy cream. Lightly salt and pepper. Set aside.

Remove vegetables from stove top and crumble in the Boursin cheese. Stir to allow it to melt into the vegetables.

Slowly pour in the eggs and stir to combine.

Now add the eggs and vegetables to the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 - 22 minutes until done. A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean. If you want the eggs to be more browned, turn on the broiler for a minute or so.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Nuremberg Bratwurst - as is well known, these sausages are the
smallest in Germany, if not the world: They aren't allowed to be bigger
than 8 cm long, must not weigh more than 25 grams, and are, accordingly
thin, too.

Their history goes back to 1313, when they were first mentioned in
written form, but of course, much of their ingredients and preparation
has changed.

Why the small size?

At a time in the 16th century, when meat was very expensive and the
sausages were sold one by one, as they are today, it was simply good for
business to make them smaller. That way, the same amount of raw
material gave more sausages, so that the Nuremberg butchers could get up
to six times as much for their wares than other Franconian butchers.

As a specialty with protected region of origin, the original
Nuremberg Rostbratwürste may only be produced in this town - but of
course, there's nothing speaking against consuming the tasty small
sausages anywhere you want.

I purchased the sausages at ALDI.

I simply browned these tasty little sausages in the skillet with a little oil over medium high heat until they were heated through and nicely browned. I added a can of undrained kraut and mixed it all together and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Dinner was on the table in 8 minutes! You can't beat that!

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

I know, the majority of the world has Friday Night Fish Frys. But I tend to do things Lolly's way. So let's have a Monday night fish fry! My fish of choice (just to satisfy a mega-craving) was Mississippi Farm Raised Catfish.

As you can see from the photo above, I brought out the fun, retro, "drive-in" style baskets and lined them with parchment paper. A nice bowl of cole slaw, french fries and my favorite of all time hush puppies rounded out the meal with lemon wedges, ketchup and tartar sauce.

Let's fry some fish!

2 lbs. farm raised catfish filets, rinsed and patted dry

2 cups buttermilk

a few dashes of hot sauce

few grinds of black pepper

In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, hot sauce and black pepper. Add a dash or two of salt, if desired, but remember the hot sauce will contain a lot of sauce. Add the catfish and let soak for at least 15 - 20 minutes.

In a shallow dish or baking pan, combine the following:

2 cups white, self-rising cornmeal

few grinds of black pepper

1/4 t. seasoned salt

1/4 t. granulated garlic

Pre-heat oil to 375 degrees either in a deep fryer or a heavy Dutch oven. You will need enough oil to allow the fish to float to the surface.

Take 2 - 3 pieces of fish (depending on their size and the size of your fryer) from the buttermilk mixture and let drain slightly. Add it to the cornmeal and turn to coat both sides completely.

"You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up
a book and read with a child." - Dr. Seuss

I love Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss 111th birthday is on March 2nd, and there's so
much to celebrate! Dr. Seuss has captured the hearts of the young and old with
his whimsical rhymes, imaginative illustrations and zany characters. A child is
never too young to introduce Seuss' poetic meter to. Reading to an infant helps
with brain development and fosters a bonding experience. Dr. Seuss mastered the
repetition of sound throughout his stories, which makes his books perfect for
beginner readers learning to connect sounds and letters to form words and
sentences. Wacky plots and tongue twisters make his books thoroughly
entertaining, inspires creative thinking and promotes pre-reading skills. Dr.
Seuss' stories, such as the Lorax, also teach valuable life lessons; whether
it's about responsibility for the environment, never giving up, or being true
to yourself.

Celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday with a FREE gift! Every new member will receive a
free Dr. Seuss Reading & Growth chart for a limited time. Show young
readers how they can grow with books! Record reading milestones while you mark
your child's growth inch by inch. The Reading & Growth chart comes with Dr.
Seuss stickers to personalize your child’s name and the Dr. Seuss books he or
she has read. Don't miss out on this terrific keepsake and fantastic Dr. Seuss
books at a great value!

Monday, March 23, 2015

If you're going to enjoy a fish
fry, an absolute MUST is a crunchy, light hush puppy. Southern
tradition is that people cooking outdoors would fry up these little
cornmeal bits along with
their fish as a side delicacy and would feed a few to the dogs to
keep them quiet while the humans were eating. Get it? “Hush,
puppies!” I love that story.

Here's my version:

1 1/2 cups self rising white cornmeal (White Lily please!)

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped.

a few grinds of black pepper

1/4 t. granulated garlic
1/4 t. seasoned salt

cooking oil heated to 375 degrees

In
a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, buttermilk and onions until thoroughly
mixed together. Add pepper and parsley and stir to mix.

Heat
canola or peanut oil in a deep fryer or in a heavy Dutch oven to a
temperature of 375 degrees. Using a 1 1/2 inch scoop, slowly release
batter one hush puppy at a time. Don't crowd the cooker. Cook in
batches for 5 - 6 minutes until golden brown, the hush puppies are
floating in the oil and they are cooked through.

I have been craving fried catfish and hush puppies for a week or so. I cooked those tonight to still the craving and decided instead of my usual cole slaw recipe, I'd use my Grandmother Clara's recipe.

I shred the cabbage when I make slaw, but she always chopped hers. And no food processor chopping. SHE was the food processor. And look what I also was blessed to receive from her kitchen. HER cabbage chopper. Throughout her life, I'm positive that she "put up" thousands of quarts of kraut. That cabbage didn't chop itself, you know. And yes, she padded the handle with mattress ticking and tied it with twine. Absolutely priceless.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

In case you're new to my blog or have missed previous posts, Miss Clara was my paternal grandmother. I was privileged to receive her recipe collection after she passed. You can learn more about her by following this link.

One of my favorite foods to enjoy at her house was her Chicken Loaf. And it wasn't made like your typical ground meat loaf. Her version includes shredded chicken, rice and eggs to help bind it all together. Unfortunately, as happens so many times, there was no written recipe. So....I have tried different versions, different methods, different ingredients and I think I have come as close to the chicken loaf from my childhood as I can.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

4 cups of shredded cooked chicken (I used all white meat)

2 cups cooked rice

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 cups milk

2 slices of white bread, torn into small pieces

1 cup dried bread crumbs

1 large jar of diced pimentos, drained

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 t. sweet paprika

1/2 t. poultry seasoning

1/4 t. ground sage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease either a large cast iron skillet, two loaf pans or a large casserole dish.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. You can add a little more onion or celery if you like. Sage, for some people, is an acquired taste. (pun intended!) So feel free to eliminate if you don't care for sage.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let rest a few minutes before serving.

I am always willing to attempt another go at biscuits. Cornbread? No problem. I can bake that in my sleep. Yeast rolls? Done. I even made two very successful loaves of French baguettes. Biscuits? They still intimidate me. But today.....today I was very happy with the result of these little bites of savory biscuits.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, 2 t. of salt and 1 1/2 t. of pepper.

Scatter the cubed butter over the dry ingredients and, using your fingers, pinch the butter into the flour to form small sheets of butter, with some of the butter about the size of peas. Stir in the 2 cups of buttermilk just until a dry, shaggy dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead gently, folding the dough over itself 2 or 3 times to form a layered dough.

Pat the dough out to a 1 inch thick rectangle. Using a large, sharp knife, cut out as many 3 inch square biscuits as you can. Gently press the scraps together and cut out more biscuits.

Arrange the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. Brush them with buttermilk and sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm with the bourbon sorghum butter.

This Bobby Flay compound butter recipe was paired with a recipe for Black Pepper Biscuits. I also made those and this butter was surprisingly smooth and creamy and melted into the biscuits like, well, butter.

I can't wait to use some of this delicious compound butter on a baked sweet potato. Oh yes. I think that would be sublime.

2 T. Sorghum Syrup (or unsulfured molasses)

1 T. Bourbon

small pinch of cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks unsalted softened butter

Pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, whisk the sorghum syrup with the bourbon and cinnamon. Bring just to a boil, then cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Let cool completely.

In a food processor, combine the cooled bourbon/sorghum mixture with the butter and puree until smooth. Scrape the butter into a bowl and season with salt. Cover and refrigerate.

Another version of the every popular Pimento Cheese. I had been craving it all week. And this time, I thought, why not make a cheese ball instead of just simply placing it in a serving bowl or on a platter?

Again, I don't think I have ever made pimento cheese the same way twice, so this is yet another slightly altered version. Enjoy!

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (don't use pre-shredded)

1/4 - 1/2 cup Duke's mayonnaise (depending on how creamy you want)

1 large jar diced pimentos, drained

1/4 t. onion powder

1/4 t. granulated garlic

1/8 t. ground cayenne

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 t. sweet paprika (plus more for garnishing)

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Shape into a ball and place on serving platter or cheese board. Sprinkle with additional paprika, if desired.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

As with most things that I attempt, what started out simply, grew and grew and grew....I thought I would make a simple pot of roasted vegetable soup. I would roast a few carrots, some leeks, a potato or three, add those to some homemade vegetable stock. Let that simmer a bit and add a few additional vegetables. Well, I did that. Yes. I did. But then, I saw this vegetable in the freezer, and these vegetables in the crisper drawer and then, a peep into the pantry showed me I had some dried lentils and canned black eyed peas........you see where this is going.

Roasting the root vegetables first, brings out their natural sweetness and adds so much flavor to the soup. If you're pressed for time, you don't have to do that step, but it certainly makes a difference.

As always, add the vegetables you like and have on hand. Portion sizes are based the same way, if you like some more than others, increase their amounts.

It's the first day of Spring, but it's a cool and rainy day here. This pot of delicious soup will certainly hit the spot tonight. Now be honest, don't you feel your cholesterol point dropping just looking at these lovely vegetables?

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, over medium high heat, add vegetable stock and bring to a gentle simmer.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the carrots, leeks, potatoes and onion in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 15 - 20 minutes until the vegetables soften and begin to brown. Remove from oven.

Add those to the vegetable stock and then add the remaining ingredients. If you're using the Worcestershire Sauce add it now. Lower heat to low and cover. Allow to simmer for several hours until vegetables are tender. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Whether you enjoy making special birthday cakes or simply
want to create sweet treats to give as gifts, this collection of molds, cutters
and cake decorating equipment will help you produce professional results that
will delight your friends and family.

tomatoes

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About Me

A little background information on me, then to the important part of the blog: The Food! I am hopelessly addicted to Fiestaware and Le Creuset cookware. You'll see many pictures of both here on the blog. Holidays and birthdays are big events at our house and you'll see all types of food here.
Need some help with ideas for setting a table for a particular event? Use the search bar or message me and I'll do what I can to help! Enjoy your visit and I'd love for you to become a follower of the blog and, most importantly, sign up to receive email updates of each new blog post.
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Lolly